Cleaver does a bang up job with their Instagram feed. We've been drooling over their pictures for a while, and finally made it there. Inconspicuously located on 17th Avenue, look for an image of a cleaver on the front. We're glad we came hungry! Their small plate concept means you get to try to lots of different things. You order all your food at once, and they bring it out in thoughtful pairings. It's interesting to see continental restaurants take on the small plates style more commonly associated with Spanish tapas.
It seems like popcorn is the new bread. Like Modern Steak, we were greeted with popcorn at the table. It was seasoned with salt and pepper. While it is the world's most obvious seasoning paring, you almost never see pepper on popcorn! It was absolutely delicious! From now on we're going to add pepper to the popcorn we make at home.
Cleaver's cocktail list is creative and extensive. P ordered a 'Sticky Wicket', largely because he saw the bartender torch a marshmallow. It was made with vodka, St Germain, prosecco & a few more delicious ingredients. It was, of course, topped with the torched marshmallow. It was sweet with a spicy kick, and highly photogenic.
We started off our feast with fig and walnut toast topped with brie, pesto, and shaved pear. It looked gorgeous with the beautiful contrast of colours on the plate. The toast was crunchy, the brie was melty, the pesto was fresh and the pear was perfectly sweet. All the flavours and textures came together really well. We're big fans of the sweet and savoury flavours coming together in a dish - and this highlighted it.
We also got the Mac 'n' Cheese. This one got mixed reviews. P loved the sharp aged cheese flavours, and thought it was up there with the best Mac 'n' Cheese dishes he's had. V found it a bit soupy, and under-seasoned. We'll agree to disagree on that - an important thing to master as we embark on a joint food blog!
Our next dish was a "pizzette" recommended by our server. The toppings were juicy chicken, crispy speck (cured ham, similar to prosciutto), baba ganoush (an eggplant spread), melted Brie, onion, hazelnut béchamel (with crunchy hazelnut bits), and truffle honey. As you can see, it's most certainly creative. It was also most certainly scrumptious. It exemplifies our love affair with sweet and savoury food, and apparently our love affair with brie as well.
The Lamb Chops with Korma dip were P's highlight of the entire meal. The lamb chops were exceptionally well cooked, perfectly juicy and seared. The korma dip was incredible! It was sweet, tart and full of onion and tomato goodness. The lamb chops were perfect for dipping, with the bone making it a meaty lollipop. This dish was a winner in our books!
We were about to order dessert, but we decided first to get the grilled cheese sandwich that looked too good to pass up. If you're reading this blog, you're clearly a foodie, and must watch the movie 'Chef' on Netflix! In the movie Jon Favreau's character explains to his son how to make an epic grilled cheese sandwich. The bread needs to be consistently crispy and the cheese needs to be evenly melted. Cleaver's grilled cheese nailed it! It had gooey cheese, crunchy bread and it had a surprise superstar in kale. P's exact words were "They actually made kale taste good!". The grilled cheese came with a tomato sauce for dipping. The sauce was similar to a thickened tomato soup, and brought it all together. A fabulous dish!
We'd like to say we looked at dessert at the end. Truth be told, we had our hearts set on it from the very first time we saw the menu. We got a salted caramel fondue. It came with doughnuts and marshmallows for dipping. This was our first time having a salted caramel fondue, and it has officially sent chocolate fondue home with it's tail between it's legs. The sauce was sweet, salty (there we go again with that combination!), and coated everything evenly. The donuts and marshmallows were very well made as well. They could hold their own even without the sauce, but together they were a masterpiece. This was the best dessert, by a mile, out of all the ones we have reviewed so far. This whole dish was awesome sauce (ha! see what we did there)!
We had a great time at Cleaver, except for one thing that happens to be V's pet peeve. The two of us got there a few minutes after they opened for dinner service at 4:00 pm. The restaurant was practically empty at that time. We asked for the table by the window that seated four (trying to take pictures in natural light, you see). We were told they were for larger groups only, and we were seated in the middle of the restaurant. Fair enough. However, the window table was empty almost the entire time we were there. When we got up to leave, we noticed a couple (two people, just like us!) at the table we were eyeing. Disappointing end to a great overall experience.
The food is creative, fun, interactive and delicious. We'd recommend Cleaver to those who love to fully experience their food.
V's Final Word: Cleaver is a great spot to go with friends! You can try lots of dishes and drinks. Their atmosphere is relaxed and you won't feel rushed.
P's Final Word: When V and I traveled to Barcelona last year, we really fell in love with the sweet and savoury combinations found in so many Spanish dishes. I love seeing more places take on this delicious flavour combo, and Cleaver does an exceptional job of it!
Price Range: $100 for 5 dishes, two cocktails, and dessert.
Website: http://www.cleavercalgary.com/
Address: 524 17 Ave SW #102, Calgary, AB T2S 0A9